Abbot Hall in Kendal brings fresh exhibitions to a Georgian landmark

On the banks of the River Kent in Kendal stands Abbot Hall, a Grade I listed Georgian villa that has become one of the North's most admired art galleries. Run by the charity Lakeland Arts, it combines a historic setting with an ambitious programme of contemporary shows.

The house was built in 1759 for Colonel George Wilson, on the site of an older abbot's residence. By the 1950s it had fallen into near dereliction, until a group of local residents formed the Lake District Art Gallery Trust, now Lakeland Arts, to save it and build a collection. The gallery opened in 1962.

Its best-known treasures include one of the finest collections of paintings by George Romney in Britain, with his large group portrait The Gower Family regarded as his masterpiece.

In recent years the gallery has been transformed through a £7.1 million redevelopment. It reopened in May 2023 with a major exhibition by Julie Brook, and its refurbished Collection Galleries reopened with a refreshed display in February 2024.

The 2026 programme has shown the gallery's contemporary side. Simon Starling's Boat Works was on show until March, followed in April by Bellwethers, an immersive multimedia exhibition, and Familial Traces, featuring work by Joshua Donkor and Lela Harris.

That blend of old and new is part of Abbot Hall's appeal. Visitors can move from 18th-century portraits to new work by living artists within a few rooms, all in a building that feels domestic and welcoming.

Its riverside setting makes it easy to combine a visit with a stroll along the Kent or an afternoon exploring Kendal.

The rescue of the building by local people in the 1950s remains one of the great Cumbrian heritage stories. More than sixty years after it first opened as a gallery, Abbot Hall continues to repay that faith, giving Kendal a cultural venue of national standing and a place where residents and visitors can enjoy art in a setting full of character.

Lakeland Arts publishes current exhibitions, events and visiting information for Abbot Hall on its website, where future shows are announced.